T2K-CAR

[85lebaront2]

Here is a picture of the completed center stack switch panel. Rare hide from a wild nauga for the panel covering. Some #6 or #8 black oval head sheet metal screws with cone shaped washers to secure the faux wood front to the center stack. It ends up just in front of the shifter when installed.

[Gary Lewis]

Well done, Bill!  Clean and functional.  

[grumpin]

Nice!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Cool.
That works!  👍

[85lebaront2]

Thank you all! It took a bit of work to get it where I wanted it, only thing I am not real pleased with is the hazard switch, I wanted a push on push off that I could illuminate or a good way to at least have a light for the panel but neither was feasible due to the way it is held together. This was behind the layout, so the dash light control, with courtesy light switch is nearest the driver followed by the hazard switch, then rear window defroster and finally the power point.

The hazard system on the 1990 donor wiring harness is strange due to the dashboard design Chrysler introduced in 1990. The turn signal switch was moved to a binnacle on top of the dash with the headlight switch, wiper switch was on the opposite side and instruments were in the resulting pod. The steering column has a turn signal cancel switch that connects to a solenoid in the turn signal switch and a hazard flasher switch. Since the switches in the pod are small push on push off single pole single throw essentially and are circuit board style, they can't handle the current required for the 2 low and 4 high beam headlights so there is a large relay panel for nearly everything on the car. The hazard switch has to ground 2 sets (4 total) of relays and change the connection for the combination flasher (which handles LED signal lights nicely). It ends up needing a 4 pole single throw switch to change from turn signal to hazard mode.

[ArdWrknTrk]

4PST isn't impossible, but it may be in a format that fits your implementation.

The bezel layout looks great, regardless!  👍

[Gary Lewis]

That sounds COMPLEX!  A solenoid to cancel the turn signals?  All to be able to put the switches above the column?  

Well, you've gotten pretty what you were looking for, and it looks great!  Well done!  

[85lebaront2]

Well, after getting the panel built, and going through some other things, I found the switch parts I had wanted to use to make it a push on, push off system, where in is normal and out is hazard on. I had a GM HVAC control I had gotten at Pick-n-Pull that had several push on, push off controls. Problem is they are a DPST switch that turns on or off functions. I had bought some 6 pole single throw switches to try to build something that would work. I tried doing one by soldering wires to the pins, melted part of the switch as they are intended to be mounted to a PC board.

The GM HVAC panel has small plugs that connect to various places, the pin spacing on the plugs exactly matches the pin spacing on the switches, so that means no soldering of wires to the switch. The front two pins are grounds so when the switch is in hazard the second row is grounded. All 4 turn signals are turned on or off with relays and one side is left side the other right side through a diode package that allows left and right turn or hazard. The plug is a 6 pin of which 5 are used to switch the flasher from turn to hazard mode which also changes the power source from ignition switched to direct battery.

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - Are you saying you can use that switch and a couple of those connectors?  And you'll have push on/push off on the hazards?  Sorry, but I didn't fully understand.

[85lebaront2]

Yes, I had ordered several of these as the were not expensive, they have 3 sets of 3 pins on each side. The 2nd, 5th and 8th set are connected to the 3rd, 6th and 9th respectively with the switch in and 1st, 4th and 7th respectively with it out. due to the design of the system in 1990 and the use of very small switches to operated all the lighting, Chrysler used a bank of relays, 4 of which are for turn signals, 2 more are for cornering lights if installed. Since all this switch needs to handle is the flasher feed (15 amps hazard fuse and 20 amp signals) and to ground the 4 relays it should be OK.


The extra pair of wires (yellow and black) are for the illumination bulb.
Now I need to come up with a button or a new lens for one of the GM ones. One had a cracked inside tab, so I took it apart for some measurements of the button and lens.

[Gary Lewis]

Ok, now I think I understand.  

Looks like it'll work very well.  Well done, Bill!  

[85lebaront2]

Now, other than an appropriate lens for the hazard switch, here are two pictures of the revised panel:
Front

and back

I glued the plug parts to the respective switch assemblies so the wires will not be pulling on the connections. The hazard switch is set up so in is normal operation and out is 4 way on. Now I need to find either a small red lens or a hazard red triangle lens to fit.

[Gary Lewis]

Looking good, Bill.  

Does the hazard switch light up in both the "in" and the "out" positions?

[85lebaront2]

Yes, it should, may be brighter in one position than the other as the button and light were part of a GM HVAC control panel and the light may have been active only with the button in (on position). I have it like the later Ford ones, off is in, on is out.

[ArdWrknTrk]

What size is the 'window' Bill?

I have Huck's old cluster here and could pull the hazard icon, if it would work for you.

[85lebaront2]

Jim, OD of the lens is 0.57" or 14.48mm, thickness is 0.22" or 0.56mm. I would probably need to get the lens out and find a clear piece of plastic that I can put the red triangle on.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I'll check in the morning.

I'm sure I have a piece of acetate, and maybe even some kodalith.

[85lebaront2]

I got the panel installed, all wiring connected and ran some quick checks. Flasher works as intended, push the button, it extends a short distance and the hazard flasher blinks everything it is supposed to. Lights on and the little window at the bottom of the lens illuminates. Since the original function on the GM HVAC control is to tell you the mode or item is active (Recirc, Rear defrost, AC compressor on) it is more of an indicator light than an illumination light. I will probably see if I have something for a clear or translucent lens and then take my lathe and remove enough of the rear face to get the lens out I will remove a portion of the barrier so the light will hopefully illuminate more of the lens area.

[Gary Lewis]

That test is a major step, Bill. Congrat's!

And your plan on the lens seems solid.  Go for it!  

[85lebaront2]

Since it has been colder than a well diggers posterior here, I haven't done anything in the garage, even though I know the torpedo heater will bring it up the tee shirt temperatures at 10° ambient, I just didn't feel like subsidizing the local kerosene dealer. I spent some time making a fuse box chart label for the inner lower left side of the dash. The area is covered with an external panel with twist release and a snap clips. There was a black on white plastic label for the 16 slot 1989 fuse box, I wanted to use the 1990 one as it came with the wiring harnesses and has each low and high beam headlamp circuit individually fused.
 
Don't pay too much attention to the fuses in it, I just was snapping them in to any active slots for an idea of how many I needed. Mirror is for the automatic day/night mirror as it uses a photocell to tell it when to dim.